The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has hauled up 34 members to court for making fraudulent housing withdrawals.

Todate, three offenders have been fined between RM600 and RM2,000 each, with one of them facing a possible one-month jail term. The other 31 cases are still pending before the courts, with the highest number filed in the Petaling Jaya Magistrate Court and the Kota Baru Magistrate Court.

Head of EPF public relations Nik Affendi Jaafar said the offenders have been charged under section 59 of the EPF Act 1991 which imposes a maximum three-year sentence or a RM10,000 fine, or both.

Nik Affendi said convicted members who return the amount withdrawn within six months from conviction date may be allowed to apply for housing withdrawal after two years while those who fail to do so will be barred from applying.

In the past, EPF has uncovered several scams involving education, health and housing withdrawals whereby members submitted forged documents to facilitate their approval.

"EPF has been diligently working with the police to uncover scams operated by syndicates that prey on members who appear desperate and in dire need of money," he said, adding that EPF will not hesitate to take legal action against syndicates and members involved in these activities to safeguard EPF members' interests and financial security during retirement.